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Narrowed our choice down to three spots - help pick :)

posted 1 year ago in Honeymoons
  • poll: Which location for our Honeymoon
    Paris : (35 votes)
    48 %
    California : (7 votes)
    10 %
    Hawaii : (29 votes)
    40 %
    None of the above but I know the perfect place : (2 votes)
    3 %
  •  
    1.
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    Buzzing bee
    unixfairy    April 14, 2012   Las Vegas

    OK so we originally were getting married in August and spending two weeks in Greece but due to circumstances I have written about here we are now getting married on October 22nd and since it is during the school year (I have teenagers) we can only take 1 week and it is too cold for the beaches in Greece so we will save that for another trip.

    So we want 1 week, romantic, that does not take 24 hours to get to and these are our top contenders - which one would you pick and why?

    In no particular order (because we like them all)

    1.  Paris - Pros: neither of us have been and it is so romantic and full of history.  Cons:  Takes a long time to get to (we are on the west coast), dollar is weak against the euro, cold and damp.

    2.  California Coast  (San Francisco, Carmel/Monterrey, Napa and the wine country) -  Pros 1 hour flight from where we live, prettiest time of year to go, lots of variety.  Cons:  not that exotic and more expensive than you would think, both of us have been to parts of this before

    3.  Hawaii (Not Oahu) - Pros: beachy and tropical, very relaxing.  Cons:  Went to Oahu last year, weather can be iffy that time of year, "just" the beach, food not as gourmet as you would get in Paris and San Fran

     

     

     
    2.
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    Sugar bee
    bookworm88    August 4, 2012  

    I voted Paris because it sounds like something totally new and special!

     
    3.
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    Buzzing
    Beekeeper
    UpstateCait    October 7, 2011   Upstate, NY

    If I had to choose, I would pick California. I've never really had any desire to go to Hawaii and FI and I anticipate going to Paris a few times in the next couple years (his business partner lives there) so we wouldn't waste our HM on it. We've always wanted to go to California and it was on our short list of HM destinations. I'm sure wherever you choose will be awesome. 

     
    4.
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    Helper bee
    dianeanthony    October 1, 2011  

    I'm in a similar slump too!  We are getting married in October and our choices are: backpacking thru Paris because its romantic and when else are we ever going to get another opportunity to go, Hawaii-Maui & Kauai because we've never been and its the more romantic islands and weather is constantly good all year round or so I assume, and lastly, Thailand because my relatives are there and I havent been there or seen them since I was a little girl..and they also have lovely beaches and really cheap good food.

    If neither of you have ever been to Paris, and you mentioned having teenaged kids, well this is your opportunity to go off and celebrate a romantic honeymoon!  But if you are concerned about  time constraints and/or money is an issue, then I vote Hawaii.  I feel like you would spend 2 days traveling so then you would really only have 5 days? If you can do like at least 7 full days in Paris, that would make it more worthwhile...either way, if you can afford it, want romance and good food and romantic sightseeing...then splurge! Laughing

     
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    Bee Keeper
    pinkshoes    July 2011   MA

    Paris!  It's beautiful and romantic.  I think it'd be a great experience for a honeymoon.  The weather may not be that bad yet.  I went during Nov/Dec a few years back and it was cold and rainy a few days, but that didn't take away from it at all.  It's impossible to time a trip based on exchange rate, so I'd leave that out of the equation.

    California?  Like you said, its only an hour away and you've both been there.  For something that close, I'd make it a quick weekend anniversary getaway in the future instead if you really wanted to go there again.

    Hawaii?  If you're not into "just" beaches, it could still work.  Depending on the island there's quite a bit more to do than just beaches.  If you do Hawaii, I recommend Big Islands so you get a good mix of beach and volcano hikes and lava field exploring.

     
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    pinkshoes    July 2011   MA

    @dianeanthony: If you decide to do Thailand, maybe you could try to do a few day lay over in Hawaii.  Not sure how to do that if you are purchasing tickets yourself, but when I went to Hong Kong, the travel agent was able to book me a fews days layover in Hawaii for no extra charge.

     
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    Helper bee
    SandAndSea    April 15, 2012   orange

    I live in California, It's boring. Well, for me anyway, and yes way overpriced. The great part of California is that you have tons of variety on what you can do, from the beach to wineries to the mountains, it's ll at your fingertips.

    I love hawaii, yes it's just the beachbut it's relaxing, sexy and so much fun. You have tons of activities to choose from.

    I wouldn't choose paris cause their is so much to see and learn about. I don't know about you but I want to be all about my new husband on our honeymoon...Wink

     
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    Sugar bee
    LittlestBirds    July 24, 2010   Seattle, WA

    I think a honeymoon should feel more special than other vacations, and the best way to do that is to go somewhere that both of you have never been before and aren't likely to go to again unless it's a very special occasion (like a major anniversary). Given your choices, I'd go with Paris for sure. Hit California and Hawaii on your anniversaries as they come.

     
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    Buzzing bee
    unixfairy    April 14, 2012   Las Vegas

    LOL I love all of y'alls comments because they echo what we have been thinking

    Paris will be amazing but will we feel like we *have* to do all of the sightseeing instead of just relaxing

    California - oh so close and oh so doable another time

    Hawaii - we adore the beach - but we just went so is it special enough

    I will let you guys know what we pick :)

    BTW Thailand is supposed to be absolutely amazing :)  We love to travel and plan to travel lots in the coming years and that is HIGH on my list.

     
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    Helper bee
    daniellerenee85    November 12, 2011   Bloomington, IN

    I've been torn between Paris and Hawaii, too! My fiance wants to go to Hawaii because it'll be more relaxing for us and I really want to go to Paris because it's always been a dream of mine. I love the history and the romantic feel of it! But, regardless of which one we pick (it's looking to be Hawaii right now because our honeymoon is in December.. BRR). We made a pact that each year we were going to go someplace new for our anniversary and then when we have kids and they are old enough, they'll turn into family vacations. I'm very big on seeing the world. I think no matter what you pick, you'll have so much fun.

     
    11.
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    Bumble bee
    sceeder    June 23, 2012  

    I picked Hawaii because you can relax but there is still things for you to see and do.

    If you do happen to do Paris though, I recommend that you do your research. Paris is extremely expensive, but there are great ways to save money. Although I know a trip to Paris wouldn't be that relaxing because you'd want to be going everywhere and doing everything.

     
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    Busy bee
    cafegirl    April 23, 2011   Nashville

    I picked Hawaii because of your limited time.  Like you said about Paris, you'll want to do a lot of sight-seeing which is fun, but you might want to spend time on your honeymoon basking in each other and relaxing instead of running around.  Even though you said you just went, the islands are all different so if you were to go to the Big Island for example, I'm sure you'd have a very different experience than what you had in Oahu.  I've only been to Maui (loved it!), but I'd love to see the volcanoes on the Big Island or experience the lushness of Kauai.  Whatever you do, you'll have a great time! 

     
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    irin997    June 18, 2011   Maryland

    I'm kinda curious why everyone is saying that Hawaii is "just the beach".  We're HM for 5 days in Maui and 5 in Oahu and I'm not sure that we have enough time to do and see all the things we want to do and see!  There's a LOT more to Hawaii than just the beach. 

    In Maui we're planning on snorkeling Molokini, driving the Road to Hana, golfing in Kanaapali, going to the Old Lahaina Luau, and trying to fit in some just beach time...as well as sampling tons of amazing and fresh food!

    In Oahu we're planning on seeing Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, surfing, checking out the North Shore, tasting some delicious fresh pineapple, shark diving, and again, enjoying the beach. 

    There's a lot more we could do but we do want some relaxing time as well.  As you can see my vote is for Hawaii, especially considering you've already seen lots of Cali and Paris will take too long to get there leaving you with not enough time to enjoy. 

     
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    Buzzing bee
    unixfairy    April 14, 2012   Las Vegas

    @irin997: LOL things come across poorly in writing I think.  From what I have experienced for those of us on the west coast Hawaii is like the Florida Panhandle for the southeast.  It is amazing and beautiful and there are all sorts of things to do, but it is our beach spot for normal vacations.  We loved Oahu - had an amazing time last March and the weather for the beach was terrible!!! So we know there is lots to do there when it is not beachy, again just possibly not that special.

    My FI has pretty much decided on Paris and we have talked about balancing out sightseeing with just wandering around hand and hand and exploring.

    I think it will be amazing :)

     
    15.
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    Honey bee
    AnnieAAA    October 25, 2009   Dallas, TX

    unixfairy: You are right, it is very easy to get caught up in the sight seeing - where you need a vacation from your vacation ;)

    Set on only a few places you want to visit, and keep it casual. I've been twice and we wanted to have that balance of sight seeing and relaxing, so it can be done, haha! And one of the most romantic nights we had there was getting a blanket and a bottle of wine and laying in the park in front of the tower at night, just enjoying the view - awesome!

     
    16.
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    Busy bee
    irin997    June 18, 2011   Maryland

    @unixfairy:  Haha, I gotcha!  Well I'm seriously envious of you because I took 4 years of french in HS and have been dying to go to France for years.  You guys will love it.  Is there anyway you can squeeze in at least 1 or 2 extra days?

     
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    Bliss Honeymoons    October 10, 2010   Columbus, Ohio

    What drew you to Greece in the first place? Was it the amazing beaches and great mix of cultural activities?

    If you are looking for great beaches and a closer flight why not try Mexico? It has beautiful beaches and so many different cultural activities to do! It is a great hideaway for the romantics at heart. Head to the Riviera Maya to escape the business of Cancun and start your own romantic escape on some of the best beaches!

     
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    Buzzing bee
    unixfairy    April 14, 2012   Las Vegas

    @Bliss Honeymoons: LOL I love Mexico and in fact went there for my first honeymoon.  Needless to say it is NOT on the list.

    Also that is Hurricane season and we would love to avoid that.

     
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    Bumble bee
    Miss. Meeps    May 11, 2012   Pittsburgh

    get out of the states and go enjoy Paris!

     
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    cbee    July 26, 2010  

    Paris!!!  100%!  Luck you!

     
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    Helper bee
    cartascartas    May 28, 2011  

    paris, hands down. :)

     

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